terr-, terra-, -ter

(Latin: earth, dry land, land)

This unit presents many words that are used in references having to do with earth and land; that is, the loose, fragmented material that composes part of the surface of this planet that we live on.

Don't confuse this element with other words that are spelled in a similar way; such as, terrify, terrible.

Mediterranean Sea (proper noun)
An inland sea surrounded by Europe, Asia, Asia Minor, the Near East, and Africa: The Mediterranean Sea is connected tos the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Mediterranean Sea also connects with the Black Sea through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus; and with the Red Sea through the Suez Canal.

nonterritorial (adjective) (not comparable)
Concerning a life form that does not exhibit territoriality: Some nonterritorial species of primates are represented by the genus of great apes, or gorillas.
parterre (s) (noun), parterres (pl)
1. An ornamental garden laid out in a formal pattern: In her garden, Jill wanted to have a parterre with paths, flowerbeds, low evergreens and low hedges all arranged in a precise and exact pattern.
2. Par of the ground-floor section of a theater; parquet circle: Sally and Jim wanted to sit in the parterre behind the orchestra in the concert hall where they could see and hear everything very well.
pax orbis terrarum (Latin phrase)
The peace of the world: Pax orbis terrarum applies to universal peace and tranquility around the whole globe.

Pax orbis terrarum is a motto found on Roman coins.

Pulchra terra Dei donum (Latin motto)
This fair land is the gift of God.
semiterrestrial (adjective) (not comparable)
Not growing or living entirely on land; partly terrestrial. A semiterrestrial crustacean needs both water and land in order to survive.

There are many amphibians that are semiterrestrial, requiring a most environment, and some lay their eggs on land for breeding.

Sit tibi terra levis (Latin inscription)
May the earth rest lightly upon thee.

An ancient inscription often found on Roman tombstones.

Suave, mari magno turbantibus aequora ventis, e terra magnum alterius spectare laborem.
It is pleasant when safe on the land to watch the great struggle of another out on a swelling sea, amid winds churning the deep. -Lucretius
subterraneal (adjective), more subterraneal, most subterraneal
Outdated, below the ground; subterranean: Under the shopping mall there is a large subterraneal parking lot for the customers to use.
subterranean (adjective) (not comparable)
1. Regarding something that is situated or operating beneath the surface of the Earth; underground: Some very religious people believe that there is a subterranean world where those who have committed crimes must live after death.
2. Hidden; secret: In the detective story, the culprit possessed a subterranean motives for committing the murder.
subterraneous (adjective) (not comparable)
1. Concerning something that exists under the surface of the Earth or is situated within the ground: Jack found out that there were subterraneous, or underground, springs and subterraneous passages leading down to the springs near his town!
2. Pertaining to something that is beyond what is openly revealed or avowed (especially being kept in the background or deliberately concealed): In the novel, Tom's subterraneous motive for murdering his grandfather was not disclosed until the end of the last chapter.
subterrestrial (adjective), more subterrestrial, most subterrestrial
Regarding something that lives or is situated nderground; subterranean: Many creatures are subterrestrial, for example earthworms, microscopic bacteria, fungi, and tiny insects.
Suscipe Terra tuo de corpore sumptum (Latin inscription)
Translation: "Receive, O Earth, what was taken from thy body."

Epitaph of Pope Gregory the Great.

terra (s) (noun), terrae (pl)
1. Literally, dry land, earth: The old flower pot in the garage was made of earthenware or terra cotta, in which the earth had been baked in an oven.
2. Any of the light-colored highland or mountainous areas of the moon or of a planet: When he looked through the telescope, James could view the terra on the closest planet to Earth.
Terra Australis (proper noun)
An imaginaty or supposed continent that showed up on European maps between the 15th and 18th century: Terra Australisis is also known as, Terra Australis Incognita, Latin for "the unknown land of the South".

It was introduced by Aristotle. Aristotle's ideas were later expanded by Ptolemy, a Greek cartographer from the first century A.D., who believed that the Indian Ocean was enclosed on the south by land.

Cross references of word families related directly, or indirectly, to: "land, ground, fields, soil, dirt, mud, clay, earth (world)": agra-; agrest-; agri-; agro-; argill-; choro-; chthon-; epeiro-; geo-; glob-; lut-; myso-; pedo-; pel-; rhyp-; soil-; sord-.